The president-elect told Time magazine recently he would abolish the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy established under Biden – though it is not clear if he has the authority to do so since it was created by Congress.
His pick for health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is a vocal vaccine skeptic who has pledged to shake up the nation’s health agencies and promotes raw milk, thought to be a vector for bird flu.
Biden’s administration has also faced criticism for what some consider a subpar bird flu response.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, published a report last month citing an array of problems including “lagging data, incomplete surveillance, sluggish coordination, considerable mistrust, and insufficient planning and stockpiling of vaccines and therapies”.
